--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not all music should be functional. Any…" description: "\"“Not all music should be functional. Any culture, and all cultural levels, need music that challenges conventions and pushes the boundaries. To say tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg" --- # Not all music should be functional. Any culture, and all… ![“Not all music should be functional. Any culture, and all cultural levels, need music that challenges conventions and pushes the boundaries. To say that church music is a functional art does not mean that art music and popular music are superior or inferior to it. It means only that church music…” quote by Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg) > ““Not all music should be functional. Any culture, and all cultural levels, need music that challenges conventions and pushes the boundaries. To say that church music is a functional art does not mean that art music and popular music are superior or inferior to it. It means only that church music cannot be free art, an end in itself. “It is art brought to the cross, art which is dedicated to the service of God and the edifying of the church.” 85”” [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music should not be limited to function; it must also exist as pure art that challenges norms, even within religious contexts. **In simple terms:** Music can be functional and also pure art. Key Takeaway Support both functional and experimental music. Themes art function culture religion creativity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - church services - concert halls - experimental festivals - educational curricula - media production Key Concepts aesthetic theory cultural criticism spiritual expression Questions to Reflect On - What balance should churches strike between worship and artistic freedom? - How does functional music shape cultural identity? A Different Perspective Pure art may clash with institutional expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-music/) [Church music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-music/) [Functional Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functional-art-535896/) [Functional Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functional-culture-535897/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Functional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-functional-535895/) [Popular music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-music/) ## Related quotes > [“To say that church music is a functional art means, on the contrary, that it is composed, played, and sung “ to serve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/to-say-that-church-music-is-a-functional-art-means-on-the-contrary/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [The widespread inability to understand technological artifacts as fabricated entities, as social and cultural phenomena, derives from the fact that in retrospect only those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-grenzfurthner/the-widespread-inability-to-understand-technological-artifacts-as/) [Johannes Grenzfurthner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-grenzfurthner/) > [I'm definitely a fan of dance music. I guess we really call it 'dance' music because music seems to have become very functional. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-satriani/i-m-definitely-a-fan-of-dance-music-i-guess-we-really-call-it-dance/) [Joe Satriani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-satriani/) > [I view my hair and clothes as functional art...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/i-view-my-hair-and-clothes-as-functional-art/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [In music, it makes for a good platform to take time and really mold a piece the way I need to mold it. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/in-music-it-makes-for-a-good-platform-to-take-time-and-really-mold-a/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [In the United States, many people said you can't have folk music in the United States because you don't have any peasant class. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-united-states-many-people-said-you-can-t-have-folk-music-in/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [“One reason for the popularity of music with a beat is that, once public schools began to drop music from their curriculum, people found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/one-reason-for-the-popularity-of-music-with-a-beat-is-that-once/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“There is a musicke where-ever there is a harmony, order or proportion; and thus farre we may maintain the musick of the spheares; for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/there-is-a-musicke-where-ever-there-is-a-harmony-order-or-proportion-2/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [The most consistent musical experience I had growing up was church music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/the-most-consistent-musical-experience-i-had-growing-up-was-church/) [Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/) > [Some of that church music, it's like this pure, raw, unfiltered emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-childers/some-of-that-church-music-it-s-like-this-pure-raw-unfiltered-emotion/) [Tyler Childers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-childers/) > [It's very hard to grow up in the African American church and for music to not be in your veins. It's just part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-franklin/it-s-very-hard-to-grow-up-in-the-african-american-church-and-for/) [Kirk Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-franklin/) > [Commercial rock 'n' roll music is a brutalization of the stream of contemporary Negro church music an obscene looting of a cultural expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/commercial-rock-n-roll-music-is-a-brutalization-of-the-stream-of/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [Christian music, gospel music, sometimes you'll fall asleep at church but music wakes you up, the song can speak to you in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-franklin/christian-music-gospel-music-sometimes-you-ll-fall-asleep-at-church/) [Kirk Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-franklin/) > [“There is a musicke where-ever there is a harmony, order or proportion; and thus farre we may maintain the musick of the spheares; for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/there-is-a-musicke-where-ever-there-is-a-harmony-order-or-proportion/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [For four years, my mum allowed only church music in the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle/for-four-years-my-mum-allowed-only-church-music-in-the-house/) [Estelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle/) ## More by Brian A. Wren > [“On the basis of these definitions, hymns cannot do theology, even when the meaning of “reasoned enquiry” is broadened and qualified. 6 Their brevity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/on-the-basis-of-these-definitions-hymns-cannot-do-theology-even-when/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“Tex Sample puts it thus: Our senses, our feelings, our bodies, and our ways of engaging life are culturally and historically structured. . . . I really am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/tex-sample-puts-it-thus-our-senses-our-feelings-our-bodies-and-our/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“Congregational singing requires proximity. “If I am more than three feet away from you, I don’t sing, because you might hear me. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/congregational-singing-requires-proximity-if-i-am-more-than-three/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“this is a good rule of thumb: if you can’t hear the congregation, you are probably too loud”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/this-is-a-good-rule-of-thumb-if-you-can-t-hear-the-congregation-you/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“That is why, as Paul Westermeyer observes, “a group who sings together becomes one and remembers its story, and therefore who it is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/that-is-why-as-paul-westermeyer-observes-a-group-who-sings-together/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“To say that church music is a functional art means, on the contrary, that it is composed, played, and sung “ to serve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/to-say-that-church-music-is-a-functional-art-means-on-the-contrary/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“One reason for the popularity of music with a beat is that, once public schools began to drop music from their curriculum, people found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/one-reason-for-the-popularity-of-music-with-a-beat-is-that-once/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“Informality—prepared and practiced informality, not ramshackle casualness—is a keynote of contemporary worship, and worship blossoms when worship space matches worship style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/informality-prepared-and-practiced-informality-not-ramshackle/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) > [“If you accept my analysis, it follows that a “good congregational song” is one that is excellent and has integrity in terms of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/if-you-accept-my-analysis-it-follows-that-a-good-congregational-song/) [Brian A. Wren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) [Explore all 10 Brian A. Wren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Not all music should be functional. Any culture, and all cultural levels, need music that challenges conventions and pushes the boundaries. To say that church music is a functional art does not mean that art music and popular music are superior or inferior to it. It means only that church music cannot be free art, an end in itself. “It is art brought to the cross, art which is dedicated to the service of God and the edifying of the church.” 85”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian A. Wren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-culture-and-all-cultural/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-culture-and-all-cultural/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/brian-a-wren-42465_art_not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-c_2446874.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not all music should be functional. Any culture, and all cultural levels, need music that challenges…” — Brian A. Wren", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brian A. Wren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-wren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Not all music should be functional....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-culture-and-all-cultural/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-wren/not-all-music-should-be-functional-any-culture-and-all-cultural/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```